IRS Warns Of Child Tax Credit Scams

NASHUA, NH — Millions of families are receiving part of their Child Tax Credits directly into their accounts on a monthly basis now, as many

But the IRS is also warning this extra money is an opportunity to get scammed. In an alert on Wednesday, officials warned families to be on the lookout for “a variety of phone, e-mail, text message and social media scams targeting families eligible for the credit.” Any request to assist to sign up for something or speed up payments would likely be a scam, officials said. Families are warned not to provide personal information to unsolicited calls or text messages, do not click on links or open attachments since these items may be tax-related fraud or identity thieves.

“This tax credit is about immediately putting funds in the hands of families, not the fraudsters, who routinely target relief programs as a means to enrich themselves,” Ramsey E. Covington, acting special agent in charge of the Boston Field Office, said. “By implementing some basic steps, the families who need these funds the most can protect themselves from the many scams that persist.”

Scam artists are constantly coming up with new schemes to try and catch taxpayers off-guard. But the IRS says, there are simple ways to identify if it is truly the IRS trying to find you.

• The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers via e-mail, text messages, or social media channels to request personal or financial information, even information related to the Child Tax Credit.
• The IRS does not leave pre-recorded, urgent, or threatening messages. Aggressive calls warning taxpayers about a lawsuit or arrest are fake.
• The IRS will not call taxpayers asking them to provide or verify financial information so they can obtain the monthly Child Tax Credit payments.
• The IRS will not ask for payment via a gift card, wire transfer or cryptocurrency.

The IRS will use information from 2020 or 2019 tax returns to automatically enroll families for advance payments. Taxpayers who are not required to file a tax return or who have not provided the IRS their information.

Visit IRS.gov/childtaxcredit2021 to provide basic information for the Child Tax Credit. To report suspicious IRS-related phishing and online scams, visit IRS.gov.

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